Gustav a



i ernten.

GUSTAV A. MERKT, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERCAN S'lm t WIRE COMPANY 0F NEW JERSEY, A CORPRATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

narrfsonnme.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J uly 1, 1919.

Application led'February 15, 1817. Serial N o. 148,705.

To all whom t may concern Be 1t known that I, GUs'rAv A. Manier, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Q Worcester, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RailsBonding, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionaims to provide improvements inv the electric bonding of the' ends of railroad rails and applies especially to the class of bonds which are effected by welding to the end portions of the steel rails, the opposite ends ot a bond made of copper or bronze very high in copper content, which has a high electric conductivity compared with steel. In welding such a. bond to a rail an 0Xyacetylene blowpipe or similar gas flame has been used to heat the rail, the bond terminal being clamped closely against the rail, and a copper wire has been u-ielted in the Haine and a molten mass thus formed and welded to the rail and to the terminal of the bond. In this operation various expedients have been resorted to to provide a space between the rail and the adjacent face of the bond terminal into which the flame could play so as to bring the steel up to the white heat necessary vand to maintain it there and'into which the melted copper would pass. But, as tar as l ain aware, it has not been possible to secure a good connection .vic

Y quick. operation.

through the height of the 'vertical face of the bond terminal which is adyacent to the side of the rail head. On the contrary, these 'methods have resulted only .in the buildingr up of a mass of copper which unites with the top -or upper portion of the rail bond terminal and with the side of the rail head but does notextend to any considerablelxtent down into the space between the bond terminal and the rai i By my invention I succeed 'in securing a -weld by means of an intermediate portion oi copper Vwhich extends practically to the bottom of the vertical face of the bond tei" minal, and l do this by a very easy and structure consisting of the rail, the bond, and the intermediate portion ot copper, which is much superior to previous bonds of the same class, in that there is'a perfect electric connection throughout practically the entire area of the inner faceof the bond terminal; which bond can be made cheaply I thus produce a bondedand quickly and without the exercise of any extraordinary care or skill.

The method consists, generally speaking, in welding a coating or body of copper to the rail, and welding the end or terminal of the bond to said coating or body of copper.

l The accompanying drawing illustrates a specific embodiment of the invention.

Figure l shows in section a rail head, with a bond terminal .in elevation adjacent thereto;

Fig. 2 illustrates the same parts united in accordance with the invention; i

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate in perspective successive steps of the process.

Reterring'to the specific embodiment of' the invention illustrated, the rail head A,

at a point near the end of the rail, is heated by a gas thune -from a nozzle B, until the side/'ot the rail is brought to a white heat. The operator then touches the white hot steel withthe end of a copper wire C. The copper is quickly melted and sticks with a very strong weld to the steel. This operation is continued until an area equal to or slightly greater than that of the vertical face of the bond terminal is coated rouehly with a coating or body l) of copper. The copper wire is not held against the white hot steel long enough to melt so much copper that it will run down, beine only touched against the stoel until a small portion of the copper melts and sticks. It can bethcn transferred to an adjacent point so as to permit the copper 'thus stippled, as it were, on the steelto harden in place.

The next step is to bring the bond terminal E against the copper coated vertical side 'face oif the rail, where it may be held by tongs or by any7 usual ,or suitable clamp, and to again use the blow-pipe to soften the coating D of copper and the adjacent face of the bond terminal. Fig. 4 illustrates this step. To increase the accessibility of the intermediate space to the gas flame the inner face of the bond terminal` is inclined upwardly and outwardly throughout the greater portion of its height as indicatedI at F so as to form a sort of open-topped trough against the side of the` rail. While` duced into'the flame and melted and unites wie wel in. e(

with "the meleii 0.17 the bami teimmel mid.

'opeiefbion has been all folie mil. with. Coppel", practically insuliigli tem' venire neceesaxto bring the steel li'e'eteml the fusibillty of c0ppei cmpeied with seel.

The coating' i) el? eoppel' le so "rough, that iliere is not close iii, of the l'eWer per@ of eend @bemiiiel against it. lfn fact the bend.

:emiinel may be se held as te ,only prees egeiis: 'the copper coating after the latter ie euiieienly softened 30 secure efwel'fleg con. mation. And. if the terminal be peesed l 'iet the coppe? coating there ie-still spese between them, due yce the rough des to permit the leme ao enter mid soften lie we adjacent feces e@ Miet z'uliey, 'together with the molten porziene fiom .the wiie, will melee e practically inte- `"rel eeiiiielm. Amel `eveil 1f this conne/0 3f edge ei the seiid. elminal, neverthewill in. all. cases' rmi nearly mi prev resulting unin is indicated moe er lees (liegmnmfieticelly in Fig. 2, although it musi, lie 'undersieed diet the feces of lie if ll be eeftened and chengefleomewhe; ein: miden/elle heat Vof the lzm1e, and parte iulieeted :ire not: separate l'gcliesvliizt pe'eieelly ene integral' stiuetuie.

Welde'fo lie-'vertical fece of 1she rail. heed I while thalatoer is et a plastic temperezure. Alongside ilus ifa-ee 'of the lall'liemi'1s the v 'ierminel o the' bond, the imieil fece l? of which is united. inegrally or atleast Welicleclj iii'ermediete-lling or body G ef ceplfief/ which in tui-i1 is 'similarl/ united or welcieffl be the coating D Q11 the'fside of the heeel. j 1

With 'l/ie Culinary heating 'Henle peefin which it has been attempted te Weld; e bend igeiiminel directly 'to the' steel fr, 01' equivalent alloy has Sie? 1t has been imV @newbie it@ liz-mg the steel, in the Space clieen dees nel; run down absolutely 'te the einem? lie '50ml terminal es; been impe-ser temperel @he greater lient fr in .he eliepe encl sizeof alien m 'lelie hopper terminal :mld t0 In 'M wehl ufl bends lieve thereil a @Gixpei'f lillet built f ze pieven; the veu when using Hoe., Skilled n it is impos- 'i 'Clie adj neemt eeppei tei'- *L el Sui'- im@ in details of the lief/1t" m to elle mil1l f1 terminal, and the mi'gieis. ei ulie oelierpal'te of Kraay lee .mede by those le egill @veiling islien'i e?" of ille ealture@` of .l in the following n illustrate-(l in me, mere :we other i? @eating the femke, Snell elect, enel'otliei Sie iig e. T

meel: comprises. applying e' {,ceei e steel rail and "eline heading il: te efwelding empemture, e en@ ef a' @eimer wire to 4the lie :is meltJ mid Aeicel. eoutiiiuiiig e. euifaeble aree 0i. the

weld ehe @Op 1125 mil 'izo ferm e inegi@ empfing 0i copper Welded, merece, lie-ii placing adgaeent to and outwardly toform'a trough, applying `a gas flame to the inner adjacent faces of the coating and the 'bond terminal and thus heating them to a welding temperature lower than that to which the rail was first heated, melting the end of a copper Wire in said fiame so that the molten copper enters' between and unites with the aforesaid adl -jacent faces throughout practically the entire height of the inner face of the bond termina 2. A method uniting a rail bond to a rail vlaid in a track which comprises applying a gas flame to a side face of a steel rail `and thus heating it to a welding temperature, Welding a body 4of copper thereon, then placing a copper bond terminal adjacent to such body,- .applying a gas flame to the ad` jacent faccsof said body and said terminal,

and thus heating them to a welding temperature, and introducing molten copper bctween said adjacent faces.

` 3. A method uniting a rail bond to a rail laid ina track Which comprises applying a gas flame to a side face ofa steel rail and thus heating it to aY welding temperature, applying the end of a copper wire to the same while thus heated so as to melt and 'Weld the copper on to the steel, continuing this operation over a suitable area of the rail face to Aform a rough coating ofcopper welded-thereon, and then applying a copper rail bond to said copper coating.

4. A method uniting a rail bond to a rail laid 1n a track which comprises -heating portion of a steel rail to al welding temperature, applying the end of a copper wire to t the 4same While thus heated so as to melt and weld the copper onto thel steel, continuing this operation over a suitable area of the rail face to'. form a coating of copper welded thereon, and then applying a copper bond to said. copper coating.

o. A method uniting a.l rail bond to a'rail laid in a vtrack which comprises heating a portion of a steel rail to a welding temperay ture, welding a body of copper thereon and -quently welding a copper bond to said body through'an intermediate mass of copper.

8. A. 'method uniting a railbond to a rail laid in a track which comprises first Welding a body of copper to a rail and subsequently placing a copper bond terminal adjacentvto said body, heating the adjacent faces to `a Welding temperature and introducing asecond body of copper between the first body and the terminal.

9. Amethod 'uniting a rail bond to a rail laid in a track which comprises first Welding a bodyl of copper to a rail and subsequently placing a copper bond terminal ad- `jacent to said body, heating the adjacent faces to a welding temperature and introf ducing a second bod of copper filling the space between said a jacent faces 'and Welded thereto. 4 1 l In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name.- GUSTAV A. MERKR 

